Military renewed violence in Buthidaung and Maungdaw

Posted on 23/01/2017

By Kyaw Win

Maungdaw: Myanmar restarted military assaults in Rohingya villages after few weeks break in Maungdaw and Buthidaung Townships since last Saturday.

A joint force of approximately 200 comprised of both the military and Border Guard Police (BGP) started besieging and conducted raids in Rohingya village; Hawar Bil (Kyi Kan Pyin), in the name of “House Registration Lists check”. These Myanmar armed forces took family group photographs in Maungdaw township at around 2:00 AM on last Saturday, January 23, 2017.

Four Rohingya villagers were reported to have been arbitrarily arrested and taken to the detention of Maungdaw BGP Headquarter locally known as a torture cell in the state. The victims were reported as:
1) Mohammed Jafar (42), son of Mohammed Hussein.
2) Shomsul Alam (39), son of Noor Mohammed.
3) Noor Alam (30) (Taking shelter at his relative’s in the South hamlet as his own home at Wapeik hamlet was burnt down by the military).
4) Another Rohingya expected to be from Maungnama (his details are yet to be confirmed).

A Rohingya, based on anonymity said, ” After military and BGP burnt Rohingya villages Waibek, military expects that no inhabitants of Waibek have the right to take refuge in the neighbourhoods as they are criminal though world knows security forces burnt their houses and looted their properties. These Rohingya have no other way than to seek shelter in their neighbourhoods. All the arrestees are innocent.”

In Buthidaung, Myanmar military and Border Guard Police raided two Rohingya villages. 25 Military officers entered Rohingya village ‘Tet Min Chaung’ and ‘Kyauk Phyu Taung .They started chasing the villagers. They also tortured the villagers irrespective of age or gender, whosoever they can caught during the raid.
A 70-year-old man, from ‘Tet Min Chaung, is reported to be in critical condition as he was tortured by the military.It was also reported that the military punched this fragile elderly ‘s face and as a result lost three of his teeth.

Military and BGP entered Kyet Yoe Pyin (Kiari Farang) and started removing all the fences of Rohingya’s houses on last Saturday. The Rohingya villagers were also chased out of their villages.

The Rohingya villagers started to have little hope of relief as Myanmar military and Border Guard Police stopped heavy assaults for last few weeks. But it suddenly renewed after the OIC foreign ministers met in Malaysia to discuss Rohingya issue.It seems that Myanmar government is committed to unstoppable crimes against humanity on Rohingya Muslim since Maungdaw attack on last 9th of October last year.